


Socks

by jandjsalmon



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: But it's not weird, F/M, and betty's reputation for making amazing pancakes returns in another story, and she touches his feet, and unspoken pining, archie and veronica are briefly mentioned, awkward jughead, but maybe he's betty's too?, domestic betty, fluffy and awkward, i don't know why i'm this way, if you know how I feel about socks, juggie is archie's friend, just an itty bitty ficlet, sleepy juggie is sweet, then you know, to dust the cobwebs, until it's spoken, with holey socks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:27:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28143114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jandjsalmon/pseuds/jandjsalmon
Summary: She hardly knew him. He was Archie’s friend, not hers, and with every passing interaction, it was clear to her that he preferred it to stay that way. Jughead didn’t really talk to her - never said much more than the occasional sarcastic quip or obscure literary reference whenever they’d been forced to interact in the past - and with what she was about to do, it didn’t look like tonight was about to change that.
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 61
Kudos: 107





	Socks

**Author's Note:**

>   
> 

She hardly knew him. He was Archie’s friend, not hers, and with every passing interaction, it was clear to her that he preferred it to stay that way. Jughead didn’t really talk to her - never said much more than the occasional sarcastic quip or obscure literary reference whenever they’d been forced to interact in the past - and with what she was about to do, it didn’t look like tonight was about to change that. 

Betty had been working late at the newspaper while both Jughead and Archie had spent the night getting hammered in her apartment. When she got home with Chinese take-out, a very drunk Archie explained that it was something of an anniversary that neither man wanted to remember and Jughead simply nodded at her in thanks with a mouth full of Shanghai noodles that he’d absconded with the moment she’d walked through the door.

The drinking continued after dinner but as the boys started to wind down, Archie's girlfriend Veronica was quick to drag her boyfriend into his bedroom so she could take care of him, leaving Betty with Jughead passed out on their living room sofa… still in his combat boots.

It was impossible to ignore the running dialogue in her head saying that it was probably weird that she was about to touch his feet… but he was asleep, his long limbs stretched humorously over the arm of her couch, and Betty knew she couldn’t leave him like that. 

Gently, without trying to wake him, Betty lifted one heavy foot and then the other, removing each worn black boot from the sleeping man’s feet. He didn’t so much as move a muscle. Apparently, whatever he and Archie had been drinking had been mixed with some kind of horse tranquilizer.

She set the boots down beside the sofa and went to reach for the soft microfibre blanket she’d set aside for him when she noticed his socks. They weren’t like Archie’s athletic socks, thick and smelly with sweat he’d earned teaching middle school gym and which she sometimes found balled up under their coffee table. No, Jughead was wearing black socks with little hamburgers on them and they looked so loved and worn that the little spot on the heel was wearing thin. What caught her attention though, was the tip of his toe popping out on one side.

Betty sighed. She was definitely forging into creepy territory. Biting her lip, she wondered how easy it would be to remove them and darn the hole closed. It would only take a second and she could probably mend the thinning spots at the same time. 

She softly tugged up the bottom of his jeans, slipping her fingers beneath the black wool and pulling the socks off as gently as she could. For a second, Jughead’s feet wiggled and he made this adorably sleepy moan before curling his arms around his body and snuggling further into the couch. Betty didn’t bother containing her fond smile.

It didn’t take her long to mend the hole, her mother taught her well, and Betty thickened up the worn spot on his heel for good measure. She slipped the socks back over his feet and tucked him in, whispering a soft, “Good night, Jughead,” while he remained unmoving. 

It was only when she gently placed his beanie on the side table next to a tall glass of water and a bottle of ibuprofen that she heard his low voice murmur, “Night, Betts,” before he drifted off again.

Betty smiled softly and retired to her room, making sure to leave the door slightly ajar in case he woke up and needed something. She was never a heavy sleeper but even still, it felt like she’d barely closed her eyes at all. 

\---

It was still fairly early when she decided to get up, start the day with a quick run around the park, before coming home to make breakfast for whenever her overnight guests decided to get up. That’s how Jughead found her, still clad in her ‘I Read Banned Books’ t-shirt and baby pink running shorts, with flour on her nose and sweaty flyaways coming out of her ponytail.

“Hey,” she said softly, “I didn’t wake you, did I?” Betty looked around the room self-consciously as he stood there gaping at her, his hair askew and his eyes unreadable. There was a short stack of fluffy pancakes already made, bacon nearly finished cooking in the oven making the room smell heavenly, and scrambled eggs ready to be poured into the frying pan. “I tried to be quiet.” 

“Betty-” he began but he stopped moving toward her when they heard Archie’s door swing open. It was only a moment before their mutual friend bound into the room with a wide smile on his face.

“Do I smell bacon? You are a fucking saint, Betts!” he exclaimed cheerfully, despite what should have been a hangover. “You’re going to love Betty’s pancakes, dude,” Archie continued, taking the wooden spoon from Betty’s hand to finish up the eggs. “She’s the master of breakfast.”

“Hardly, Archie,” Betty brushed it off, grabbing the hot sauce and ketchup from the fridge, hoping that if she didn’t make a big deal about it, then the weird confusing look on Jughead’s handsome face would go away. “Ronnie awake yet?”

“Shower,” was all he said before his mouth was full of eggs and his attention was distracted by his food.

Betty handed Jughead a plate without a word and said, “There’s more batter in the bowl if you want. Can I make you some pancakes, Jug?”

He looked like he wanted to say something - anything - but shook himself out of his thoughts and gave her a shy smile. “I never turn down food, Betty. That’s the _first_ thing you should know about me.”

\---

He didn’t say anything about the socks, but she had this wriggling feeling at the back of her mind that he wanted to say something but just didn’t know how. Instead, he started coming around their apartment more often. It’s not that he hadn’t come over before - because he had - but now he actually spoke to her instead of just silently observing. He brought Betty’s favourite danishes from the coffee shop on the corner, regularly insisted on cleaning up after their communal meals, and always took her side when she and Archie argued over whatever movie they were going to watch each night. Every new interaction affirmed that maybe he wasn’t just Archie’s friend… maybe he was hers too.

Months later, under an umbrella where he’d saved her from a surprise downpour, Jughead finally plucked up the courage to kiss her. He confessed that from the moment he’d met her, he’d felt so awkward and foolish around her that he’d acted like a socially inept maladroit. She’d darned his favourite socks and he allowed himself to hope. The most beautiful girl he’d ever seen had reached out and it made him second guess everything he thought and said and did because she made him feel things he didn’t think were possible. 

She kissed him back, and when he dropped the umbrella to cup the side of her face, she realized he was more than just her friend. 

He was her _everything._

**Author's Note:**

> From a prompt by my dear [MotherMaple](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MotherMaple/) to shake off my cobwebs so to speak.
>
>>   
> Write me a drabble in which Betty takes Jughead's shoes off for whatever reason, discovers what a sorry state his socks are in, and either repairs them or knits him new ones."
> 
> This is what poured out of my mind. Many thanks to her for the very fun idea. I hope I did it justice.  
> If you're so inclined, please visit my tumblr [@jandjsalmon.](https://jandjsalmon.tumblr.com)


End file.
